It’s Trump’s first visit with a foreign leader since his election victory.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe rushed to be the first world leader to meet face-to-face with the U.S. president-elect.

CCTV America’s Jessica Stone reports.

Japanese PM becomes first foreign leader to meet President-elect Trump

It's Trump's first visit with a foreign leader since his election victory. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe rushed to be the first world leader to meet face-to-face with the U.S. president-elect. CCTV America's Jessica Stone reports.

Donald Trump’s surprise win not only roiled Japanese markets, it rocked Tokyo which had been preparing to deal with an old partner, former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

Abe, of course, owes his own election to a promise to pass the TPP. His party pushed the trade agreement through the lower house of the Parliament last week. Japan needs free trade to boost its sluggish economic growth.

Abe is also worried about Trump’s campaign positions on the U.S.-Japan mutual defense treaty.

Abe has already broadened Japan’s military role abroad and upped spending on the American troops stationed there – by nearly two billion dollars.

Trump wants Japan to pay more. He has also said, but then later denied suggesting Tokyo develops its own nuclear weapons, a move which would alter the balance of military power in the region.

Trump’s campaign manager has said the president-elect’s team is well-aware that Barack Obama is still leading U.S. policy and so that deeper conversations about policy and the Japan-U.S.relationship will have to wait until after Trump becomes president.

Shihoko Goto on Trump-Abe meeting

As Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meets with President-elect Donald Trump, what will be the future of Japan-U.S. relations in the region? To learn more, CCTV America’s Mike Walter spoke with Shihoko Goto, senior Northeast Asia associate at the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Asia Program.

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